1 רוּחִי חֻבָּלָה יָמַי נִזְעָכוּ קְבָרִים לִי | 1 My spirit is broken, my lamp of life extinguished; my burial is at hand. |
2 אִם־לֹא הֲתֻלִים עִמָּדִי וּבְהַמְּרֹותָם תָּלַן עֵינִי | 2 I am indeed mocked, and, as their provocation mounts, my eyes grow dim. |
3 שִׂימָה־נָּא עָרְבֵנִי עִמָּךְ מִי הוּא לְיָדִי יִתָּקֵעַ | 3 Grant me one to offer you a pledge on my behalf: who is there that will give surety for me? |
4 כִּי־לִבָּם צָפַנְתָּ מִּשָּׂכֶל עַל־כֵּן לֹא תְרֹמֵם | 4 You darken their minds to knowledge; therefore they do not understand. |
5 לְחֵלֶק יַגִּיד רֵעִים וְעֵינֵי בָנָיו תִּכְלֶנָה | 5 My lot is described as evil, |
6 וְהִצִּגַנִי לִמְשֹׁל עַמִּים וְתֹפֶת לְפָנִים אֶהְיֶה | 6 and I am made a byword of the people; their object lesson I have become. |
7 וַתֵּכַהּ מִכַּעַשׂ עֵינִי וִיצֻרַי כַּצֵּל כֻּלָּם | 7 My eye has grown blind with anguish, and all my frame is shrunken to a shadow. |
8 יָשֹׁמּוּ יְשָׁרִים עַל־זֹאת וְנָקִי עַל־חָנֵף יִתְעֹרָר | 8 Upright men are astonished at this, and the innocent aroused against the wicked. |
9 וְיֹאחֵז צַדִּיק דַּרְכֹּו וּטֳהָר־יָדַיִם יֹסִיף אֹמֶץ | 9 Yet the righteous shall hold to his way, and he who has clean hands increase in strength. |
10 וְאוּלָם כֻּלָּם תָּשֻׁבוּ וּבֹאוּ נָא וְלֹא־אֶמְצָא בָכֶם חָכָם | 10 But turn now, and come on again; for I shall not find a wise man among you! |
11 יָמַי עָבְרוּ זִמֹּתַי נִתְּקוּ מֹורָשֵׁי לְבָבִי | 11 My days are passed away, my plans are at an end, the cherished purposes of my heart. |
12 לַיְלָה לְיֹום יָשִׂימוּ אֹור קָרֹוב מִפְּנֵי־חֹשֶׁךְ | 12 Such men change the night into day; where there is darkness they talk of approaching light. |
13 אִם־אֲקַוֶּה שְׁאֹול בֵּיתִי בַּחֹשֶׁךְ רִפַּדְתִּי יְצוּעָי | 13 If I look for the nether world as my dwelling, if I spread my couch in the darkness, |
14 לַשַּׁחַת קָרָאתִי אָבִי אָתָּה אִמִּי וַאֲחֹתִי לָרִמָּה | 14 If I must call corruption "my father," and the maggot "my mother" and "my sister," |
15 וְאַיֵּה אֵפֹו תִקְוָתִי וְתִקְוָתִי מִי יְשׁוּרֶנָּה | 15 Where then is my hope, and my prosperity, who shall see? |
16 בַּדֵּי שְׁאֹל תֵּרַדְנָה אִם־יַחַד עַל־עָפָר נָחַת׃ ס | 16 Will they descend with me into the nether world? Shall we go down together into the dust? |